12/10/2007

'Freak of nature' may have fueled Lewis County floods

CHEHALIS, Wash. - The heavy rains fell everywhere. Federal experts say a freak of nature may be to blame. They emphasize they're still investigating, but they say they're zeroing in on a small but high-intensity rain event that fueled the Chehalis River.They also can't rule out some sort of "x" factor -- an unexplained event that accelerated the flood waters. "This is an extraordinarily rare event," Schick said. "A huge event. Double the previous record."